Staton Klein’s Swimflies

Was on a pond not long ago and decided to throw down on some largemouth bass with one of Staton Klein’s swimflies. If you didn’t read the piece we ran on Staton in the summer issue of Fly Rod & Reel, you should. He details why he ties the flies the way he does and what he tries to achieve in doing so. All I know is that this big, white, articulated fly was darting around like a swimbait, dodging one way then another with each strip of the line, when a five-pounder latched onto the back of it. Bummer was this: that bass spit out the fly before I could set the hook.

But that was my first real look at Staton’s flies in the water and I was shocked at the movement that fly achieved with three segments. It sounds like the article in FRR is launching Staton and his patterns into the spotlight and that some of his patterns are being picked up by a major fly manufacturer, and likely will go into commercial production. That’s good because Staton is a pretty generous guy, as evidenced by a gift that showed up in the mail a few days ago—four more original patterns that I get to throw for bass and trout this late summer and fall. I’ll keep you posted on how I do with them but I thought I would share a couple images of those flies with you here. Art. Beauty. And deadly, I think, to fish.